2017 Amami Sea Kayak Marathon weekend

The Annual Amami Sea Kayak Marathon in Kakeroma was the first weekend of July. While I didn't participate in the race itself because of conflicting responsibilities with the Orchestra, I went to cheer on my friends who entered and to enjoy the post-race festival. But before all that, on Saturday July 1 the Amami ALTs spent the day exploring Kakeroma.

We met Mr. Daisuke through a mutual friend, and he took us around the island to see the main sights. We were also joined by Micah, a former ALT on Tokunoshima, who came back to visit and participate in the marathon.

A perfect view of Oshima strait from a Kakeroma mountaintop.

Our ALT group posing by the pier. Photo by Daisuke-san.
From L-R: Jacob, Micah, Megan, Ching, Maranda

Daisuke-san also took us to an old, famous tree: the Takena Gajumaru.

A wooden sign featuring Totoro helpfully points the way.

Our group next to the Gajumaru tree. Photo by Mr. Daisuke.

After our sightseeing tour, Mr. Daisuke dropped us off at one of Kakeroma's many beaches, where we had lunch (prepared by the old lady who oversees the only shop) and spent the day snorkeling and swimming. On the ferry back to Koniya we even spotted a sea turtle!

Sunday arrived, and we made our way down to the port where the kayaks were waiting (all racers had to register on Saturday morning). The race teams featuring ALTs were as follows: Nat and his girlfriend Ai, Ching and Micah, and Megan and her friend Mao.

The kayaks are in the water and the participants are ready to head to the starting line!

The start of the race is signaled by a lively taiko team of kids.

At this point I left for orchestra rehearsal in Naze, and came back late afternoon to a post-marathon festival, complete with food stands selling yakisoba and kakigori among other foods, and a stage.

High school students performed hula. 

A sumo monomane (comedy impersonation) performer dancing with two volunteers

Amami Shima-uta (traditional island song), accompanied by shamisen.

Amami-born shimauta-sha and pop singer Hajime Chitose gave a concert!

Snorkeling, fishing, and beaches, oh my!

With the arrival of spring I got a few opportunities to enjoy the beautiful beaches and marine life here in Setouchi. On Wednesday, April 5th, some friends, some friends of friends, and I gathered on the Koniya dock and waited for our guide for the day. The plan was to eventually make our way to the backside of Kakeroma, fishing and snorkeling along the way, before coming back to Koniya.

As we sailed west out of Oshima Strait separating Amami from Kakeroma we tried to go whale watching, but since peak season is in the winter, we didn't end up seeing any, although we did hear a few sing through the underwater mic we had on board.

Soon it was time for lunch. Some of the more skilled fishermen and women among our group caught a bucketfull of various fish, keeping the bigger ones and letting the smaller ones go. Our guide docked the boat on Yoro (the island west of Ukejima on the map above), and we all got out to get a bit of solid land under our feet again.

Miso Soup!

Mizuno-san preparing sashimi

My friend Mizuno-san, who runs an amazing restaurant in Koniya, got to work making miso soup with the fish we caught, and put another one of our group members to work de-scaling the fish. The biggest one was to be prepared as sashimi, and the others tossed into the soup. Paired with some pre-made onigiri, it was the freshest meal I've ever had in my life.

When we were finished, we changed into wetsuits for snorkeling. The water temperature was still too cold to go in with only swimsuits, and was cold even with wetsuits, but everyone got used to it quickly. The clouds were clearing around this time too, so having the sun out helped.

Hanmya island

Our last main stop was Hanmya island, a tiny uninhabited island between Ukejima and Yoroshima whose main attraction is a large sandy slope, about 60 meters from bottom to top. The island has no dock, so we had to swim to shore. Apparently climbing the sand slope is a must for visitors, but it was particularly challenging because the sand was completely dry and difficult to get a purchase on. It also didn't help that the slope itself was about 40 degrees, so because of the angle and the loose sand, with each step you took you slid down about half of it. But all of us made it up eventually, where we sat and enjoyed the sunshine before running back down and swimming back to the boat.

On the way back to Koniya I saw a flying fish, but I was unable to snap a picture of it before it disappeared under the surface again.

Barbecue over a campfire. Delicious!

Setting off sparklers at night

That evening the same group (plus/minus a few people) went to a small campsite in Sumiyo town to barbecue, set off sparklers, and stay the night. Mr. Mizuno had prepared a lot of food and by the time we finished everyone was stuffed! Thus a long day ended with good company.

Koniya meets Kakeroma

On Friday February 3rd, the students and staff of Koniya HS traveled to Kakeroma island, located to the south across Oshima strait, and is technically part of Setouchi, the town whose main hub is Koniya.

The students spent the day either walking or running an 11.5 km course along the Kakeroma coast and back while the teachers and staff waited to meet them at checkpoints along the way. This was my first time on Kakeroma and luckily, the weather was perfect!

Because the Kakeroma ferry was undergoing repairs due to bad weather a few weeks prior, students were split by class to board several smaller sea taxis. We left early in the morning, at around 8 am.

View of Kakeroma from the water. It takes about 20 minutes to get across.

Looking back at Koniya from about halfway across. Hello from the other siiiiidde~ ♫

We're nearing the port on the Kakeroma side. There are a few rocky outcroppings that looked as if you'd find a treasure chest on them if this were a Zelda game.

At 9 am, the run/walk started. I along with a few other teachers decided to go with the students, for a little while at least. The sun was at the perfect angle to get this great shot of a pier looking out into the strait. All it needs is a green light on the other side to complete the Gatsby look. Not a cloud in sight.

On the course, we came across this strange . . . residence? Camp? I don't know what it is. The sign reads "Barefoot Base Camp" in English.

Passing by one of many beaches. The water is crystal clear.

I only ended up going about 6 km into the 11.5 km course before turning around, for a total of about 12 km walked. I took this photo on the way back. If I weren't expected to show up back at the starting point dry, I would have liked to hop in and go for a swim. The temperature was in the low 20s (Celcius) around noon . . . in the beginning of February. Feels like spring already.

The fastest male student completed all 23 km (11.5 km out and back) in a whopping 1 hour and 36 minutes, and the fastest female student did it in 2 hours and 8 minutes. Fantastic performance all around! Hopefully next year I'll do the whole thing with them!